The present invention generally relates to the field of computer networks. A network is a distributed communication system of computers comprising user terminals and at least one server, the computers of which are interconnected by various electronic communication links and computer software protocols. A particularly well-known network is the internet. The internet is a world-wide network whose electronic resources include among others text files, graphic files in various formats, world-wide-web pages, etc. The scheme for denotation of an electronic resource on the internet is an electronic address which uniquely identifies its location within the network and within the computer in which it resides. On the internet such an electronic address is called URL (universal resource locator).
From EP-A-732 660 a communication system is known in which plural client systems refer to the information kept by a server system via a network, comprising a personal information control section provided in said server system and controls first information of the person who handles the client system which is referring to said information. A personal information display section which is provided in said client system and displays the personal information controlled by said personal information control section in a list on the display screen as choices, and a communication channel establishing section which is provided in said client system and establishes the communication channel with the client system corresponding to the choices selected and instructed when the selection and instructions are made on said screen. The action of this known system is as follows. An object has a key information-registration means and informs the attribute of the object to the center station. Attributes of respective objects are stored in the key information-holding means and the center station. Thereby it becomes possible for the object to register the attribute which changes on the real-time basis and the center station. The call relation candidate-requesting means of the object requests the call relation candidate object to the center station, according to need. At this time it is also possible to specify some attributes of the call relation candidate. The call relation candidate-determining means of the center station receives this request, determines the call relation candidate regarding the object, and delivers it to the call relation candidate informing means. The call relation candidate-informing means informs the entry of the call relation candidate to the object. At this time, the attribute of the call relation candidate object registered in the key information-holding means may be informed. The entry of the call relation candidate object informed by the center station is stored in the call relation candidate-storing means of the object. When the attribute of the call relation candidate object is informed by the call relation candidate-informing means, it is also stored therein. The call relation control means of the object refers to the call relation candidate stored in the call relation candidate-storing means and its entry to control the call relation with the call relation candidate.
The present invention has the object to facilitate the activation of predefined actions by a user in the network.
The central idea thereby resides in the association of a predefined action with a notification sent to a user terminal, wherein the predefined action can be activated on the user terminal e.g. by clicking on a notification window displaying the received notification (S).
According to the present invention therefore a communication method for a network comprising at least one server and a plurality of user terminals is provided. The user terminals can share information with each other and with the at least one server by means of a network. According to the present invention a predefined action is associated with a notification. The notification is sent to a user terminal and displayed on a screen of the user terminal. Then the predefined action associated with the notification sent to the user terminal is automatically activated by a response to the displayed notification at the user terminal. For example, the predefined action can be activated by clicking on a notification window on the screen of the user terminal.
A target address can be associated with a notification sent to a user terminal. When the predefined action is activated by a response to the displayed notification on a screen of a user terminal, the predefined action is addressed automatically to the target address.
A life span information can be associated with a notification to be sent to a user terminal, wherein the display of the notification on the screen of the user terminal and the activation of the associated predefined action are prohibited as soon as the server detects the expiration of the associated life span information.
The life span information can be a deadline information or a time duration information.
In case the user terminal to which a notification is to be sent is not in a logged in state, the notification can be stored in a notification data base connected to the notification server.
The notification data base can be stored in an object-oriented approach on the server.
A notification stored in the notification data base can be erased in case the associated life span information has expired.
According to the present invention furthermore a communication network comprising at least one server and a plurality of user terminals is provided. The user terminals thereby can share information with each other and with the at least on server by means of a network. A notification server is provided to associate a predefined action with a notification and to send a notification to a user terminal. The notification is then displayed on a screen of the user terminal. The predefined action associated with a notification sent to the user terminal can be activated automatically by a response to the displayed notification at the user terminal, as for example by clicking on a notification window on the screen of the user terminal.
The notification server can be adapted to associate a target address with a notification sent to a user terminal. The predefined action can be activated addressed to the target address by a response to the displayed notification of the user terminal.
A notification server can be adapted to associate a life span information with a notification to be sent to a user terminal. The server can be adapted to prohibit the display of the notification on the screen of the user terminal and the activation of the associated predefined action as soon as the server detects the expiration of the associated life span information.
A notification data base being stored for example in an object-oriented approach on the server can be connected to the notification server to store notifications in case the user terminal to which a notification is to be sent is not in a logged-in state.